Social Media & SEO

With so-called vanity metrics summarily dismissed by C-level execs as having any real value, the pressure increasingly is on PR and marketing executives to monetize their brand’s or organization’s social channels.

Social channels, which are commanding increasing marketing dollars, offer PR execs multiple ways to start a conversation with reporters and build a rapport on behalf of their companies and clients.

How can your brand or organization get a piece of the action on Instagram, the world’s fastest growing social network? On Wednesday, the company announced the introduction of “carousel ads,” which expand on the network’s sponsored posts.

Nearly 20 percent of all social media users in the U.S. are on Snapchat and, according to The Wall Street Journal, the service currently processes nearly half a billion snaps per day. If you’re a brand who wants to engage on Snapchat but don’t quite know where to start, here are some tips for getting off the ground.

PR News analyzed a recent video that passes the viral test, which we determined today to mean any video that got more than a million views on YouTube in fewer than four days. Just our luck: E’s “Crazy Buckingham Palace naked man video!!!” fits the bill.

To capitalize on a new video embed Twitter just rolled out, PR pros first need to know their way around the microblogging service.

Recent changes to Google+ focus on the most successful elements of its network, to develop and evolve them further, streamlining the product and increasing overall impact.

‘Embracing the Hate’ as the latest marketing tool, stepping on a positive message and Amazon’s new senior VP for worldwide corporate affairs (via the White House).

Brands must target Millennials where they live and get their news and align with their influencers. They also must tread lightly, however.

When brands slice and dice their information into snackable and visual content they boost the odds that consumers will pay closer attention to the message. The challenge is when to distribute the content.